Queen Square Library
UCL Institute of Neurology &
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (UCLH)
Quick guide: Proquest databases
Proquest provides access to a range of databases
and e-journals. This guide aims to help you to use
Proquest databases to search for articles published
on your topic. Access to Proquest databases varies,
depending on which organization you work for.
NHS users can use an NHS OpenAthens account to
access the Proquest versions of: British Nursing
Index, Medline & PsycInfo. UCL users’ mostly have
access to humanities databases via Proquest, for
biomedical topics, please refer to other services.
First, select a database from the list at:
www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/library/databases, being careful to
select the correct link for UCL or NHS access. Log in
when prompted.
Other search modes include Basic Search (for a quick
search) or Look Up Citation (to search for a single
known article).
Can I search multiple databases together?
You can search more than one database at a
time but it is more effective to search each
database individually. This allows you to access
the full range of search tools, including the
correct thesaurus and the most useful limits.
The default search mode is Advanced Search and
this is usually the recommended option because it
allows you to build a full search strategy & to produce
comprehensive results.
When building a search, consider including both a
subject heading search AND a keyword search to
make sure your search is as comprehensive as
possible – more details on the next page.
When thinking about your topic, first identify the
main CONCEPTS, as well as any limits you
need to include. For example:
What has been written in the last 5 years about
the use of NEUROLEPTIC DRUGS to treat
female patients suffering from DEMENTIA who
are aged between 35 and 65 years old?
If you would like more information or a training session, please contact the Library.
1st Floor 23 Queen Square – extn.84144 – neurolibrary@ucl.ac.uk
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/library/
© Queen Square Library - guide last updated 26/1/2016
Subject heading search
Keyword search
Some Proquest databases, e.g. Medline & PsycINFO,
offer a subject heading search. This allows you to
explore synonymous terms and broader / narrower
terms. Using a subject heading in your search
strategy will usually help you to identify more results
and therefore to explore a topic in more depth.
When you have done a subject heading search, you
can add a keyword search to your search strategy to
expand your results even more. Type a search word
into the Advanced search and the system will search
for it Anywhere (i.e. in the citation, keywords, abstract,
etc.). Or you can restrict the search, using the menu
on the right, to find your word only in the Title, etc.
Click Thesaurus above the search box to access the
list of subject headings for the database you are using.
Type in a concept and click Find to view related
subject headings. E.g. in Medline, search for the term
neuroleptics to find the synonymous Medical Subject
Heading (MeSH) Antipsychotic Agents.
You can truncate your word using * if you need to find
variant endings – e.g. type dement* to find dementia,
dementias, dementing, etc.
To add a second concept, simply add a new search
row. Connect the rows using the dropdown menu:
 AND to narrow your search & find all of the
concepts you entered.
 OR to broaden your search & find any of the
concepts.
 NOT to find the concept from the first row, but to
reject the concept from the second row.
Use the limits underneath the search box to further
focus your search, e.g. to find items published in the
last 5 years and dealing with female patients, aged
between 35 and 65.
Combining search sets
Click the folder icon at the top right of the screen to
access Recent searches.and use the search
numbers next to each search set to combine them –
e.g. type 1 AND 2 to find articles that appear in search
set 1 and also in search set 2.
To select one or more MeSH for your search, tick the
box(es). You can also use the options: Qualifiers,
Explode or Major:
 Qualifiers
click the icon to select subcategories, allowing you to focus on an aspect of
the topic, noting that this restricts your results.
 Explode – tick the Explode box to include articles
covering your main concept and those covering
related, but more specific, concepts.
 Major – tick the Major box to search only for
articles where your concept is the major topic.
Click Add to search to transfer your selections to the
search screen and then click Search.
Handling results
In the list of results, use the tick-boxes to select items
and then use the action icons at the top of the list.
Cite generates a formatted list (e.g. in Harvard style)
for use in your documents. Link to …More for:
 Save to My Research – set up a (free) Proquest
account to save searches and set up email alerts.
 Export/Save – in various formats, including
Endnote, Word, Excel, etc.
To link from your search results to a full article, click
the SFX icon.
If you would like more information or a training session, please contact the Library.
1st Floor 23 Queen Square – extn.84144 – neurolibrary@ucl.ac.uk
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/library/
© Queen Square Library - guide last updated 26/1/2016